Future College Baseball Recruit, Do you know your  ABC's?
By WBP - Worldwide Baseball Prospects
Do you know your ABC's? For the high school baseball player and their parents the college recruiting process can be confusing and a bit over-whelming. Simply put, it's a new experience for each and every player. So below let's focus on some bite size nuts and bolts that fall under the A B C's that will lend support for your journey as a prospective high school student / baseball player.
A - Academics, Appreciation, Action, Adversity
Academics
Need we say more, STUDENT - ATHLETE? Most everyone has heard of the saying, Student comes before athlete. What you are doing right now academically as a student and as a individual. Your grades and the quality effort that you put towards academics (which includes your attendance record), will have a direct impact on where you will ultimately have options to play college baseball.
Bottom line, if you can't meet the specific admissions guidelines for entrance to study at a specific College or University then you probably will not be playing there.
One question we always ask our Worldwide Baseball Prospects' players enrolled in the WBP High School to College Baseball Recruitment Planning Program when they are finalizing their target lists is,
Do you see yourself at this institution, if you were not playing baseball?
If you can answer yes, you made a good choice as it pertains to your needs.
If you are having trouble right now as a student, take action and get a tutor, get help from a student, do whatever it takes to provide yourself future playing opportunity.
Appreciation
Do you appreciate all that is around you? This could be the other players on your team, the success of a teammate your teachers or your instructors and especially mom, dad and/or guardian. You could appreciate the fact that you have a baseball team to play on where countless do not. A school to learn from and place that is safe to lay your head at night where many do not. When was the last time you said to your mom and dad or your coach or private instructors, thanks for all that you do!
You might be surprised that what you put out sometimes comes back to you, call it the boomerang effect.
So show that appreciation without expectation, from others that give themselves for your benefit.
Action
There is a quote somewhere that we saw Do-so is more important than say-so! Bottom line with taking action is that once you begin moving forward you start the process of achievement.
You may be scared you may fear something or you may be going into the unknown. But by taking
action you will eventually get to the target you see clear in your mind.
The best time to take Action is now, stop talking about it and put one foot in front of the other and start walking toward your vision.
Adversity
Some of the greatest achievements of all-time by man come from how he handled adversity and the action he took following it. Most guys pack it up and walk away from the struggle. Instead assess it rationally, understand it and try over repeatedly to ultimately reach a positive goal.
The achievers, the leaders and the successes stories you read about look at the adversity as an opportunity, as a positive and tackle it with HEART & DETERMINATION.
Developing your skills, planning the recruiting process or bringing up the weaker grade are struggles of so many, you are not alone. Adversity of these things is often a fight with ones inner self in some way. So tell yourself to continue and enjoy the journey and fight for your purpose. It's your choice and only your choice to maintain your course of action and keep trying.
If you believe, it is then that you can achieve.
B - Brains, Balance
Brains
Develop the most powerful tool you have, Brains! Both on and off the field how you think, how and what you learn, how you perceive your outcomes or results could work for you or conversely work against you. Learn as much as you can and soak in the creditable knowledge.
Life, Baseball and Education is a never ending learning process, embrace it and enjoy.
Balance
Too much chocolate is only good for the guys making the chocolate, because they know you will come back for more. Creating a life balance with all the things that are important to you (for ex. Baseball, Education, Family, Religion, Self, Friends, Nutrition, Strength, etc.) is a skill and a constant struggle for most adults period, let alone a High School Student Athlete with a lack of life experience.
Manage your time efficiently so that you can effectively apply yourself.
For example, there are more hours in a week then in a day. So instead of 24 hours to complete tasks, consider balancing the interests that are important to you over a 168 hour period (1 week).
So list all the things that are important to you and try to balance out the time you spend on them in a week.
Remember Quality of time is better than Quantity of time. That's why we count pitches and not innings.
C - Communication, Commitment, Confidence
Communication
Communication is probably the most under rated skill for prospective high school players seeking out college options. Whether it is communicating with admissions or the coaching staff of a targeted program, it seems as though the value of this skill has become almost none existent.
Students today are growing up in an era of instant communication and instant results. They want the short, quick solution.
However, the recruiting process is absolutely not this. We cannot stress this enough, this takes time which is why learning time management skills and balancing your weekly schedule is so important to learn earlier in the recruiting process during the freshman and sophomore years.
You are building relationships with a whole network of individuals such as, private instructors, scouts, college coaches and admissions personnel. Trust is earned over time and is not instant.
Commitment
I want to play college baseball! So many guys across the country say these words but fall short because they do not realize what it really means to commit on a day-to-day basis. It is more then just being in uniform, showing up to play, and going home and hoping that somebody like what they saw.
Commitment is a burning desire to achieve your goals and when distractions come up that may stand in the way or sway you off center from your goal, you are so focused that you stay committed and on route. Through the good, bad and the ugly, when times seem tough, when the going gets rough you persevere through all of it. Your commitment to the books, skills development and most importantly yourself as a person can be hard for some people to understand and deal with. Probably because they wish they could have a goal and stay committed like you. So they try to bring you down.
Commitment is a deal with yourself, no matter what you will stay the course and try to become the best that you can, as a person, a student and a baseball player.
Confidence
Did you know that confidence is contagious! We are not talking about the guys that think they know everything and think they are better then everyone else. Confidence is good thing, an attitude, a mind set. It let's those around you know that you embrace and will face challenges. You fear nothing, you just go about your business with a smile on your face, you are able to celebrate the success of others and you are not taken advantage of emotionally by any naysayer.
Negativity just does not exist when you are confident in yourself!
Obviously there are a lot more key elements and characteristics that fall under the ABCs that a high school baseball player should address and practice or take to heart. Some of which include; Ability, Attitude, Basics, Ball sense, Choices, Coach-ability, Co-operation, etc.
If you are a high school student athlete and you have the desire to academically and athletic pursue college we highly recommend that you create a plan and attack it with focus, heart and determination.
Worldwide Baseball Prospects - WBP is a coaching and mentoring company which supports, motivates and educates prospective high school baseball players and their families with an economical, value-packed recruitment planning program and a sensible approach to the college baseball recruiting process. The WBP High School to College Baseball Recruitment Planning Program is a great fit for families and student / baseball players who choose to be in control of their future development and the college baseball recruiting process. |
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